BPI Foundation donation, JTI award, GMA Network fights piracy, SINGLIFE PH for financial protection, ZAYED Sustainability Prize opens submissions, GROWSARI recognition, AIM Global super app for 3M distributors, ACNE care

BPI Foundation-RAFI turn over fishing boats

BPI Foundation Inc. (BPIF) in partnership with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., through its Humanitarian Disaster Preparedness and Response (RAFI HDPR) program, donated 41 motorized fiber glass fishing boats to selected fisherfolk associations from Sibonga, Barili, Pinamungajan, and Alcantara, Cebu last December 19 and 20, 2022.

The Balik Bugsay Program provides fishing boats to support the livelihood of fisherfolk communities that have been heavily affected by Typhoon Odette.

As the social development arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, BPIF, through the Balik Bugsay project, hopes to pursue their advocacy of Bayanihan, partnering with like-minded institutions like RAFI, to equip local associations and individuals to be economically disaster resilient by providing them with tools to recover and restore their livelihood.

JTI awarded #2 top employer

JTI Philippines has been certified as Top Employer for 2023 marking the second time that it has received the prestigious national accreditation.

JTI general manager John Freda said the certification sends a strong message to current and future employees: investing in its team is the cornerstone of JTI’s strategy in the Philippines as the company recognizes that its people are its greatest assets.

The award means that JTI Philippines has been recognized for its excellence in people practices covering the entire employee lifecycle. JTI employees benefit from the high-standard conditions created for them.

Top Employers Institute highlighted JTI’s implementation of diverse initiatives to promote employee well-being, ranging from informative webinars, sponsored sports activities and even the digital platform, LifeWorks, which is a confidential employee assistance program available 24/7 to support the mental, physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing of its Philippine team.

JTI was recognized for its focus on diversity and inclusion, which includes among others, its innovative Bright Start program that supports individuals from socially disadvantaged communities by giving them the opportunity to attain a college degree while simultaneously earning a salary and developing their careers at JTI.

GMA Network fights piracy

GMA Network announced last January 19 that it has strengthened its anti-piracy capabilities by partnering with the Alliance for Creativity & Entertainment (ACE).

Widely regarded as the world’s largest and most effective anti-piracy coalition, ACE currently has over 50 global members, with GMA as its first member from the Philippines.

“Piracy continues to be one of the biggest problems in the entertainment industry globally,” said GMA Network CEO and chairman  Felipe  Gozon. “The duplication and illegal distribution of movies, teleseryes, music, and other materials invalidate the hard work of those behind it. GMA Network, through various initiatives on different platforms, is consistently taking the necessary steps to combat the illegal distribution of our shows movies, music, and other materials.”

As part of its efforts to combat piracy, GMA Network also launched  its own anti-piracy advocacy campaign dubbed “Stream Responsibly. Fight Piracy.” The campaign aims to encourage people, especially the younger generation, to be aware of what is right and wrong and help raise awareness of the value of creative works. It also aims to protect and educate the public about the potential harms of clicking pirated websites and apps.

Singlife Ph,  a better way to financially protect your family

Singlife Philippines may be the new kid on the block, but it’s definitely not playing around. In just two years, the company has been able to give clients a full range of alternatives to save & protect their financial future. Protecting your income from disability or death, shielding customers from high medical costs, and preparing parents for the high costs of Children’s education — all these can now be done in just a matter of minutes on your mobile phone via GCash, the country’s largest e-wallet.

With a client base of more than 100,000 clients, Singlife Philippines has proven to be the alternative the market has been waiting for. The company received an excellent rating from customers on the customer review platform, Trustpilot.  Customers cited having transparent products that are good value for money, easy claims handling, and customer service that offers solutions fast as reasons for the Company’s excellent ratings.

“Singlife Philippines offers a better way to save for, plan, and protect the financial future of every Juan and Maria. Research has shown that the upcoming middle income class understand the value of being financially protected and prepared, but they felt uncomfortable talking to an agent or sales representative in a bank,” said Rien Hermans, CEO of Singlife Philippines. “Customers feel intimidated, monthly premiums are above their available budget, and benefits and charges are unclear, all leading to unpleasant experiences and frequently a financial loss.”

Zayed Sustainability Prize opens submissions

The Zayed Sustainability Prize, the United Arab Emirate’s pioneering global award for recognizing excellence in sustainability, has officially announced that the 2024 cycle is now open for submissions.

Submissions will be accepted until May 2 through the Prize’s online portal.

Small to medium enterprises, nonprofit organizations and high schools with sustainability solutions from the Philippines and across the world,  are invited to submit an entry for consideration in one of the five categories of heath, food, energy, water and global high schools.

The Prize’s $3 million fund rewards winners $600,000 in each category. The Global High Schools category is split into six world regions, with each school able to claim up to $100,000 to start or further expand their project. The six world regions of the Global High Schools category are The Americas, Europe & Central Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and East Asia & Pacific.

Winners of the 2024 Zayed Sustainability Prize will be announced at an Awards Ceremony during the COP28 Climate Summit.

Growsari is  best B2B e-commerce brand

Growsari, the leading tech B2B platform, has been named as the best B2B E-commerce Brand across Southeast Asia, South Asia and ANZ regions. The company was recognized at the Asia E-Commerce Awards for 2022 for uplifting and digitizing Filipino mom & pop stores to be comprehensive service hubs for the community in the Asia E-Commerce Awards 2022.

Last year, Growsari was also recognized by several award giving bodies for its social impact to the grassroot community in the Philippines. The platform for sari-sari stores and MSMEs was also named as one of the Top StartUps in the Philippines on Linkedin Awards 2022, the Trailblazer Award in Asiastar 10×10 by Alibaba Cloud and KrASIA and a global digital commercial innovation award in BAI Global Innovation Awards.

In 2022, GrowSari has accelerated its expansion plan, opening to the other regions of the Philippines. For the upcoming year, Growsari plans to roll out a Universal Digital Payments QR Code that will accept payments from across multiple wallets and banks to stores to more than 50,000 of its users.

Super app for 3M distributors readied

Alliance in Motion (AIM) Global together with Orbix Victus International (OVI) the leading direct-selling company in the country, has tapped UBX, the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, to develop a super app that will enable its over three million distributors to offer digital financial solutions to their clients.

Under the  partnership, UBX, OVI and AIM Global will work together to develop a mobile app that will enable AIM Global distributors to process digital financial transactions, such as accepting payments for products, bills payments, loans, remittances, and money transfers.

The app will be powered by UBX’s banking-as-a-service vertical i2i as well as its online lending marketplace SeekCap.

AIM Global is the leading direct-selling company of food supplements and herbal products with five million distributors across the globe. In the Philippines alone, it has a network of more than three million distributors.

On its 15th year the company decided to expand its reach by opening their newest subsidiary Orbix Victus International (OVI) not only by offering health and wellness products but to further promote the awareness on financial literacy to its distributors and add more value by opening access to its people into digital financial services through UBX.

The mobile app will be launched within the first quarter of 2023.

Acne care the Japanese way

 Acnes, a popular Japanese acne care brand that’s also loved in many countries in Asia like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, is now in the Philippines.

Backed by years of extensive research, the trusted acne expert offers a range of skincare solutions that contain effective acne-fighting ingredients to control oil, unclog pores, clear up the skin, and give it a healthy-looking glow.

Made with the Asian skin in mind, all of its products contain Centella Asiatica or Cica extract that’s proven to aid in the recovery of blemishes. This brand is developed by Rohto Pharmaceutical Company and The Mentholatum Company, two entities with a rich history and heritage in skincare product development and over 120 years of experience in pharmaceutical technology.

Acnes offers  Acnes Anti-Acne Spot Gel that helps shrink acne in as fast as three days. Acnes Anti-Acne Pimple Patch repairs and heals breakouts with pus and active wound. Other products are Acnes Creamy Wash, Acnes Powder Lotion and Acnes Oil-Control Moisturizer.